Hospital projects will need double the number of new nurses – MUMN

The MUMN said in a statement today that it is always in favour of an increase in investment within the health sector in Malta, however it is waiting for further details on the plans which were announced by the Prime Minister last week.

The MUMN said that it is satisfied that the present Government will keep nursing staff employed within the public sector, and that the Sectoral Collective Agreements will be respected.

The Union said that it would be continuing meetings with the Government this week to clarify a number of points and discuss details of the project to find the solutions required.

“The biggest challenge in these new projects, was the number of nurses that would be required,” the Union said. It estimated that to cover the services announced, Malta would have to achieve a target of 300 nurses graduating per year, which is almost double the number graduating today, it said.

On the shortage of nurses, the MUMN also appealed to Malta University to look at the number of courses per year that it runs for persons wanting to enter the health profession, which is currently two.